lightanddarknessfandomcom-20200213-history
Great Draconian Confederacy
The Great Draconian Confederacy, usually referred to as the GDC, is the human state resulting from the alliance of the Five Great Dragonflights that arrived in the Jutlandic Peninsula after the War of Unification. It spans in time from the creating of the Wall up to half a millennium later, and it extends in six kingdoms from the Wall to the rest of the Jutlandic Peninsula and several annexed islands. It includes two extramural towns and many outposts both in mainland Europe, Scandia, Iceland and other territories. With the Wall, the Lightshield, and the settlement of the dragonflights, which posed as a draconian foreign nobility to rule, the importance of the outposts decreased and the foreign politics lost importance in favor of the internal affairs. Jutland before the Wall Before the arrival of the dragonlords, the societies in Jutland were allegedly chaotic and savage. However, after their arrival and the imposition of the Cardinal Light, accounts may have been exaggerated for propagandistic purposes. It's hard to establish what is true and what is not, based only on the accounts of Sinewyn's journals. This is especially true because the events happened centuries before her birth, with the new order well established; virtually all accounts of it are secondary documents. The peoples from before the GDC are named collectively as the Antemural Jutlandic Peoples, despite being quite the heterogeneous group. These peoples had feudal societies divided in over a hundred small kingdoms. Most had different customs, gods and values, and some were more accurately described as tribes than as kingdoms, though there is good evidence for more sophisticated civilizations as one moves north. They warred with each other, especially in the north, where they also had conflicts with the Scandian peoples. Great ships built all along the Western and northern coast point to their development. In the south, however, they were mostly separate bands that warred as much with each other as with the mainland Europeans, lacking cohesion. The situation changed with the First Light. As the mythological origin of the Cult of the Cardinal Light, it is mostly legendary, and yet something had a profound impact in the southern peoples. The Fourfold Truth extended from Shield Island to all the southern territories and then also the northern ones, providing for the first time a common denominator for all the Antemurals. The religion prophesied and promised unprecedented changes in civilization, and perhaps more importantly the arrival of foreign leaders from the skies to the Chosen Land. Reactions were mixed during the time, but eventually it gained ground when the Lightshield first manifested in the II century before the Wall. It was allegedly a blessing from the Light, that set the Antemurals apart from the other tribes - it would spare them disease and provide good weather. The prophecy was fulfilled together with the arrival of the dragonlords, and it grew ever since, reaching its height when the Six Primordial Aspects stood together where the Wall would be. This series of events led to the ultimate unification of the Antemurals and the genesis of the GDC and its society as we know it. It was not a peaceful transition, with heavy opposition from the rulers, especially in the north. History The GDC's hegemony spanned for more than six centuries before records are lost after Sinewyn's departure. It, however, dissolved before the end of the first millennium aW (and so spanning from a period from 9500 b.C. to 9000 bC and further). These centuries were: * The Century of Blood (I bW). From 100 to 1 bW. The most violent encounters between the draconian elites and the retreating humans of the War of Unification took place in this century, as well as most of the conquests. * The Century of Unification (I aW). From 1 to 100 aW. After the building of the Wall, the conquest of the new rulers was guaranteed. * The Century of Consolidation (II aW). From 101 to 200 aW. This century saw the assimilation of the Antemurals to the new order as well as that of the foreign cultures to a new Draconian culture in the confederacy, based on the supremacy of the Cardinal Light and its new order. * The Century of Peace (III aW). From 201 to 300 aW. This century resulted in the deaths of the original monarchs, resulting in the seeds of the new tensions and reforming of the political landscape of the Empires and arranged marriages. Intermingling didn't result in chromatic dragons because of aspectual heritage, which was taken by many as an excuse for polarization. * The Century of Grief (IV aW). From 301 to 400 aW. The Queen's War took place in this century, and saw massive transformations and conflicts that shattered the GDC unity irreparably. * The Century of Expectation '''(V aW). From 401 to 500 aW. A frail equilibrium ensued the Nyctian and Hemeral Kingdoms and factions after the premature death of the Second Generation of monarchs. Their children succeeded them and further transformed the political landscape, leading to more atomization. * The '''Century of Hope (VI aW). From 501 to 600 aW. Most of the new century occurred after The Great War of 501 aW, with Sinewyn's journals explaining the ultimate Hemeral victory, that still couldn't prevent the dissolution of the Confederacy and the imminent abandon and redormancy of the dragonflights. Society As believed to be right by the Light, the GDC had a profoundly hierarchical society. At the bottom, the majority of the population were non-assimilated Antemurals or Extramurals that migrated for the good weather and conditions (food, agrarian technology, absence of plagues that assaulted Central Europe, no external attacks by Scandians, etc). These peasants worked land in exchange of food and protection and were allowed their own freedom of religion; most remained heathen because of the complexity and sophistication of the religion's rituals and gender policy. Thus, it was a feudal system with little mobility, save for willing peasants that were knighted by their Lords, mostly for battle achievements and loyalty. Directly above them were the former human nobles among the Antemurals, reduced to the Low Nobility or γ-nobility. These had all converted to the Cult of the Light and owned local castles that watched over towns, having peasants and other small Lords as vassals, taking men-at-arms and even lower-rank noble knights for war while offering them food and protection under their wing. Internal ascension was common through marriage, but otherwise the families remained as low nobles in their own Kingdom. B-nobility was a mostly infiltrated caste, but still hybrid, with a subgroup of human overlords of higher title (Non-draconian Middle Nobility) and another of foreign dragon-riders that didn't mingle with them (Draconian Middle-Nobility). These lasts held the higher titles, comparable to those of Count and Earl, controlling extense administration over territories. A-nobility, High Nobility, or The Elite, was completely infiltrated by draconian overlords that posed as the foreign rulers come from different cultures around the world. They controlled the Provinces and only answered to the Monarchy of each Kingdom. At the peak were the Draconic Aspects, that posed as the Royal Houses. There were six, one for each Kingdom, descendants of the Primordial Aspects that lead the conquest in the of Unification. empires sanctum Origin of the Dragonflights aaaa